Jeff's Commentary - 12/14 - A Christmas Carol

On Saturday December 18th, AZ-TV will broadcast KTAR's "A Christmas Carol" from 7-8pm and starring our very own Pat McMahon. I was at the taping (which will also air Christmas Eve at 10pm on AZ-TV and several times on KTAR radio) and was amazed at the simplicity of the story performed on stage, yet how it is so relevant in today’s times.

I love that we are returning to calling Christmas...Christmas. Too many years of companies being “politically correct” and avoiding the word “Christmas.” Yet with the economy as difficult as it has been, many are suffering. I had a chance to be on a committee with Ashley Furniture reading stories of families “in crisis”. Ashley is donating a minimum of 12 homes worth of new furniture. The folks at Ashley received over 1,200 requests to be a “finalist” and our group had to whittle the 68 heartfelt stories down to 15.

It was really tough to read...as almost every family had kids sleeping on floors, families enduring various heath issues, and many parents having to re-parent to grandchildren as their own kids were in prison or on drugs. It was nice to know that at least 12 homes are going to be filled with furniture and many more with beds from Ashley.

Our own AZ-TV promotion to basically rebuild a home with furniture, paint and landscaping is also getting a lot of attention from families in need. While we can’t “save the world,” we can fix one home at a time and are going to do so with a winner announced on Thursday, the 23rd.

Too often, we take for granted that someone else will help others. This year, it takes all of us to participate...in any way that works for you.

Scrooge seeing the light by revisiting his own past in "A Christmas Carol" should be a wake up call to all of us. A recent interview with the late Elizabeth Edwards stuck out to me. She talked about not wanting to talk about cancer “taking her down,, rather cancer was just another piece of her life as part of her journey to live and to give. I liked the part about the journey. That’s what all of us are doing while we live day to day...creating our own journey and making our own life story. How you help others defines you.

Material things matter, though in the TV business and advertising, it is somewhat important to our survival. Hopefully we all take some time to reflect what is truly important to us whether it be family, friends or relationships and find a way to help our neighbors out. Sometimes something as simple as a smile or hello to someone can change that person’s day.

Check out "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday. It may help you understand the true meaning of the Christmas season. It did once again for me.

Merry Christmas.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 11/24 - AZ-TV's Home Makeover

Thanksgiving starts the holiday season. Goblins and ghosts are replaced with holly and folly. It’s a great time for most of us. Family, friends, memories and reflection all make this a wonderful time in our lives.

We know that this has been a tough year (or years) for many people. And while we can’t solve all the problems in the world or in our community, we can make a small difference this holiday season for one lucky family.

AZ-TV has teamed up with New Exodos with a campaign called “Seeing the Need, Finding the Solution - The AZ-TV Christmas Giveaway”. New Exodos has secured vendors who are trying to make a difference in one family’s life. We are giving away a true home makeover.

The Room Store is donating a home full of furniture; San Tan Landscape Design has donated a front and back yard landscape job; Glidden Professional, Idea Paint and East Valley Disaster Service have donated a home outdoor paint job. What a heartwarming gift to receive from these great vendors!

If you know someone who deserves a home makeover or you would like to submit an entry for your family, simply go to AZTV.com and tell us that family’s or your own story. We will announce the winning family or person live on The McMahon Group Thursday, December 23rd.

It can be a “Wonderful Life” if you chose to help. Let your friends know about this and as the Lottery says, “you can’t win if you don’t play.” We really would like to bring a joyous holiday to some deserving family in the Valley.

Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and caring. Help us make a difference. Is there any better gift than that?

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 10/26 - Grounds for Dismissal?

Juan Williams was fired last week from NPR for stating on a different talk show/network that when he boards a plane and sees “people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Juan has been an analyst for NPR (National Public Radio) for over ten years. In firing him, NPR stated that “his views regarding Muslims were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR."

Seems to me he stated a politically incorrect opinion that most of us agree with quietly and for that he was fired. I struggle with an analyst losing his tenured job over stating an opinion. That’s what they do. Anytime someone on a talk show asks the analyst “what do you think about that?” we at home expect them to answer. Opinions are what they do these days. And frankly, I like that Juan answered the question that day realistically.

At AZ-TV, Pat McMahon has been doing commentaries and analysis daily since the station went on-air in 2002. Everyday he comes up with a commentary that stops to make you think. I don’t always agree with Pat but his insight and “throwing his thoughts out” make him unique and relevant. NPR executives should put their heads in the sand for firing Juan Williams. He simply stated what most of us think as we travel. Is it right for us to think that way? No. But the dialogue he creates by bringing up difficult topics is what makes his opinion relevant.
Same with Pat McMahon’s daily commentaries.

NPR is supposed to be an unbiased news organization and takes pride in their version of fair and balanced news. On the firing of Juan Williams, they lost part of their integrity as a news organization. The Juan Williams' and Pat McMahon’s of journalism are badly needed in today’s fragmented news media. They bring reasonableness to unreasonable life circumstances.

NPR showed their true colors of what they are becoming. Be careful because if you lose your relevance as a company financed by tax payers and relevance to fair and balanced news on both sides of the spectrum, we tax payers may tell you to take a hike some day.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 10/12 - Lisa's Race for the Cure

I was privileged to walk in Sunday’s Race for the Cure as a part of Lisa Schneider-Cipriano’s "Team Lisa-TNT." As many who follow the station know, Lisa has battled breast cancer throughout most of 2010. She is not your normal patient. In her early 40s, she was not supposed to get this awful disease so early in life. Lisa's mother had breast cancer as well so Lisa knew early on the odds were against her. And so it was in early 2010, she discovered lumps that indeed were cancerous. A young mother with eight year old triplets and having recession issues like many of us...she faced yet another challenge in life. Cancer.

But those friends that know and love Lisa knew that this young woman is positive and a fighter. She rarely gives up on anything she goes after. I like that spirit in her. She makes good TV. Her interviewing style and ease of giving Pat McMahon grief and company is what makes her special. And we love her for that.

While I have known a few women that have had breast cancer, it became more personal to all of us at AZ-TV with Lisa. We saw the emotional pain of deciding whether to take one or both breasts. She chose to take both. We saw the anticipation of the surgery grow as the calendar moved. We respect that she chose to open her story up both on air and online and the overwhelming response we have received from other woman who had the courage to go get checked as a result of Lisa’s message. Then the surgery and the pain that followed.

I never knew about “extenders” or “chemo pumps” that get inserted inside your skin. And now the path that chemo takes on one’s body. Loss of hair, loss of identity. But through it all Lisa fights and survives and lives every day like it’s the best day of her life. How can you not like that? She even brought coffee and donuts to those who came to race for the cause, her cause and others like her. So much to think about and Lisa remembers donuts! Only a mom would think like that...concerned for others first.

So going down to the Race for the Cure was a no-brainer for me. For the first time as I looked out into the sea of pink shirts who are the woman and families of those impacted by this terrible cancer, you are stunned at the vastness of both the disease and the fight of those inflicted.

Powerful stuff in a time where so much is negative and uncivil around the country. Here were 30,000+ people all participating for a cause that consists of hope among pain. I am blessed to have been allowed to know Lisa. Her story is an inspiration to me and others that when bad things happen, you can give up or you can fight the fight to live another day. What a great experience seeing the faces of those still in the game on Sunday. I saw life...and for a small moment in time, the political nonsense of the world took a time out for hope. It’s a great life lesson for all of us.

Jeff

(Check out Lisa's Blog on AZTV.com here:
http://www.aztv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12835440)

Jeff's Commentary - 10/5 - Our Choices for Political Office Dwindle

I was watching a talk show this morning and they showed the new Christine O’Donnell political ad. She is running for the Senate seat in Delaware. Pretty big job since there are only 100 of these people in the Big House.

It begins with her in front of a camera and states “I am not a witch.” Really.

I had to stop as I was dressing and was stunned at the ad. Have we fallen so low in our ability to attract good candidates to run for high public office that we are left with people running that start their campaign ads by denying their affiliation with the girls of Salem?

The country is a mess. But what’s sad is that there are many competent wonderful leaders in public and private sector that simply would not go through the media attacks that running for office is all about today.

So we are left with candidates who have to disarm the public first about whether or not they are witches or masturbate.

In Arizona we already have our share of knuckleheads. We have politicians in office who talk about headless bodies in the desert and scare off our tourism business. We have folks running for office who don’t run on their own merits and skill but use ads that attack the President as being the “worst President in history”. I’d like to get Ben Quayle on and see if he even can recite the Presidents we have had in office. I bet he can’t.

I don’t know if Mr. Quayle would be a good politician or not but I wouldn’t know because his ads don’t tell me about how he would work with others to find solutions.

And then we have a complete lack of understanding what the Arizona and American public want. Jobs, a safe neighborhood to live in and helping out those that need a hand. People working together for the common good. Seems pretty simple.

But we have to find folks to do that job that aren’t starting their political ads with, “I am not a witch.”

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 9/22 - We Need the Enterprise

I used to love the original Star Trek where the Enterprise was incoming to a perilous situation in the galaxy and Captain Kirk sat patiently waiting for the upcoming hits from the Klingons or space garbage.

Calling out commands to the deck...”Up Shields”...”Steady as go”...

I feel the same way as I wait for what will be unleashed by next week on the television airways across Arizona. A billion political ads.

With one week before mail in ballots are distributed, we are about to be unleashed with more attack ads and political rhetoric than ever before. Record television dollars are expected to be spent in the next six weeks.

Research shows that negative ads and mudslinging work. As I pointed out in an earlier commentary, look at the success of Ben Quayle stating that President Obama is the worst President ever in history. It works frighteningly well as he won the Republican nomination in his Congressional district. Can’t wait for what he comes up with next...

So pull back in your armchairs at home and let the game begin. Some of it will be entertaining if you can get through the clutter. All candidates and propositions are part of the space garbage we will face. As with the Enterprise, Kirk had to carefully guide the ship through the crisis.

You will see more “I’m the best and my opponent is the worst” lines and quotes. You’ll despise hearing how this person will cut taxes and this person will raise taxes. Blah Blah SB1070...Blah Blah Obama Care...Blah Blah bailouts...Blah Blah Tarp dollars...Blah Blahh Arizona education is the second worst in the nation. Space garbage for sure.

Just for once, can we address the most significant problem Arizona faces...jobs?

Hopefully after the first ten days of ads running, our shields will be holding up and we will be taking in all the attack ads with a common sense understanding of what the real positions are.

Then again, Spock was quoted as saying “It’s always easier to destroy than create.” In Arizona, we deserve better.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 9/10 - September 11th, 2001

I’m old enough to know where I was the day that John F. Kennedy was shot. To this day I still vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table with my dad later that week on a Sunday morning when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed as he was getting booked live on TV.

In April of 1968, I remember the night on the fourth that Martin Luther King was shot and then the summer of our cities burning. All on live TV.

But nothing will resonate with me like the events of September 11, 2001. I recall every hour of the event and the impact that that still haunts me and America. That morning, I was driving to work at my normal early morning time. And KTAR broke in with a story that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center around 5:48am. It was a big story and I was working at KPNX-TV at the time as General Sales Manager. I called the news desk and they were on the story. Little did we all know that this would be a day to remember similar to December 7th, 1941. And it was all live on TV.

By the time I got into the office and headed to the newsroom, the AP line was on fire that another plane had just struck the second tower. It was 6:06am Phoenix time. With the power of television, I witnessed the plane crashing into the tower within minutes on the Today Show. There was panic in the air. While the first event could still be viewed as a tragic accident, the second sounded an alarm that the U.S. was under attack. I called home and told my wife to keep the kids home.

Again, with all this unfolding now live on TV, there was another attack at 6:37am Phoenix time. This time a plane roared into the Pentagon spreading death there. It was surreal. Everyone wanted to do something to help but there was little to do. The news department began a week of coverage that was some of the best reporting I ever was a part of.

At 7:06 we heard of yet another crash of a plane outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. What was happening? How many more planes were out there ready to crash? It was incredible to watch. History was being made as four airplanes had now crashed into the U.S. in less than two hours.

Then as the day progressed and we witnessed one, then another World Trade Center fall into the hole of the earth, I knew our life and world as we knew it would be changed forever. I had no idea how to pronounce al Qaeda that day but it became a word now synonymous with evil to most of us.

Since 9/11 we have had nine years of Afghanistan and eight years of Iraq. Only time and history will tell us if we did the right thing in both countries. This ninth anniversary, I will take a moment to pray for all that has happened, and wish that the hatred and anger that came from all of this could one day be erased. I fear though, it will not. It is important to remember, but it is more important to make our world a better place for all of us to live. I pray we can one day get there. I have faith that can still happen. But we need to remember the events of September 11th, 2001 to heal first.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 9/7 - Governor Brewer's Falling Star

Two weeks ago Governor Jan Brewer was a political superstar on the rise. She appeared on national media outlets almost nightly, talking about the perils of SB1070 and the wows of immigration on Arizona and the country. The Governor was in demand...a celebrity whose presence to speak was star-like. Then a funny thing happened on the road to her Oscar like status...the truth.

Back in June the Governor declared that there were headless bodies out in the Arizona desert. The Wild Wild West was out of control being run over by the coyotes and drug dealers from Mexico coming across the border. Gather the kids and lock the doors and stay awake all night with your guns to protect the family. Only problem is none of this was true.

During the Great Debate of 2010 on September 1st, the Governor started with her famous 16 seconds of silence. Simon and Garfunkel would have been proud.

Then as the debate continued and the Governor was asked about the headless bodies in the desert, she had no response. After the debate, she was caught by reporters again demanding where the heads were, and her answer was “that it was an interesting debate.” Wow. It reminded me of former President George W. Bush in a debate with Senator John Kerry when asked about the Presidency responded with “It’s hard work. It’s hard work.”

Brewer took back her June statement later in the week. The headless bodies were actually in Mexico along the border regions according to her statement. I get that immigration is a big deal in Arizona. While the claims of illegal immigration were misstated or misspoken, that in no way takes away from the issues on securing the borders.

I just wish we could have a discussion without adding all the lies and fabrications to make people scared. I’d like to see our politicians just once talk openly about what really is happening. The politics of fear is a real drag because people buy into the rhetoric.

As to Governor Brewer, a star is only bright when it is not falling from the sky. I don’t think she will be as much in demand on the national talk shows or as a speaker for others running for office. They need the propaganda to at least be somewhat truthful.

And the sixteen seconds of silence? It is said that dead super stars often turn into black holes. As the star dies, it explodes in a huge explosion called a Super Nova. The Super Nova blasts away most of the star. As we get closer to the November election, we’ll see if Jan Brewer remains in her current position or if her remarks on immigration create a Super Nova. The politics of fear will not keep you burning bright, Governor. Let’s talk about what really will heal the state and bring jobs and housing back. Dead headless bodies in the desert don’t make for a healthy economy, but they make good headlines.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 8/31 - Attack Ads

It begins again. Less than one week after the primary, the first of which will be many political “attack ads” began airing Monday night. Governor Brewer ran an attack ad against Terry Goddard that shredded all qualification Mr. Goddard might have to be Governor. Watching the ad, you would think the current Attorney General was the most incompetent person ever running for office. I’m sure Mr. Goddard will respond with some clever ad back on the Governor’s lack of skill to run the state.

We were hit with hundreds of attack ads from Sheriff Joe Arpaio who wasn’t even running for office in this year’s primary. The ad spent about twenty of the thirty seconds ripping apart current Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley. I don’t get why a guy running supposedly for Sheriff in two years does an attack ad on a guy running for Maricopa County Attorney this year? The strategy worked as Mr. Romley was defeated by a relative unknown Bill Montgomery. Bill may be a good candidate but I know nothing of his background. Too bad for us as Mr. Romley is one of the most competent politicians out there who works for the “right agenda” vs. the Sheriff’s agenda.

Then there was Ben Quayle. His new claim to fame is his statement that “The President is the worst President in the history of America.” Really!? From a kid who has done relatively nothing in his life but write a few blogs on "The Dirty Scottsdale" website, that’s quite a statement. Ben may be a nice guy and smart but we wouldn’t know it from his commercial strategy. I have no clue what makes him worthy to represent me other than his attack on Obama. But again, it worked as he secured the nomination to be the GOP candidate for the Third Congressional District this fall defeating nine other candidates.

Research shows that 80% of candidates who use attack ads win. That’s why the candidates resort to it so much. Can you imagine if you were going into a job interview and talked about why the other guy should not get the job and nothing about your own qualifications? I don’t think most companies would hire you. Yet that’s what happens in politics. Ben Quayle has no real background to be in Congress other than a famous name. He has a skillful media consultant who knows it works to keep others on defense and talk as little as possible about your own qualifications to govern. We don’t know who Ben really is or what he stands for. That’s okay because it happens all the time. Just would be nice to know more about Ben than his statement that the President is awful.

The public continues to buy into these attack ads and send people to represent us and then we wonder why nothing positive gets done in Washington. Until people start demanding more and understanding what the issues are, we are going to continue to get what we got.

That’s what attack ads are all about. Some facts and some fiction. Rarely about the candidate themselves who are paying for the ad. Too bad. As the rock group The Who sang a classic song “Won’t be Fooled Again”, unfortunately we will this voting season because too many of us believe what we see.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 8/18 - Blago Proves Trial by Jury is a Mess

So the great trial of 2010 in Chicago is over and former Governor Rod Blagojevich is free...for today. There was a mistrial on Tuesday when 11 jurors found him guilty on 23 charges and 1 juror who found him not guilty. Mistrial declared. That’s how our system works.

I think it’s time for a change. Our Appeal Courts do not work this way. Our Supreme Court does not work this way. Decisions are decided by a majority vote. So if five of our esteemed Court members vote one way and four others vote another way, the side of the five votes will be the decision makers. Simple majority rules.

With all the diversity in our land today and the differing of opinions everywhere, you rarely will get 12 people to agree on anything. Have you been asked to appear in court for jury duty lately? There are a lot of uniformed people out in the world today.

There were millions of dollars spent on the Blagojevich trial and millions more will be spent on an upcoming re-trial. Why?

The system needs to change. I propose that if 11 people in a jury of 12 find someone guilty or innocent, the party will be judged based on the majority opinion. Too often there is a book deal or TV, radio and magazine covers for the lone jurist hold out. Or often, the holdout is simply a whack-o. That should not take away from the efforts of the other 11 jurors and trial attorneys and judges involved in these cases today. Our judicial system is already a mess and cases backed up for months.

While some members of Congress are wasting time and media discussions on anchor babies, I think we should be addressing issues that really matter to our society and can make a difference in our lives. Figuring out how to change the majority rule of the current jury system should be something to consider. And it saves tax payer dollars in the process which we so desperately need. It’s time to start a revolution on a lot of these ideals folks.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 8/10 - The End of August

I do love the end of August. Not because its still 110 degrees out and not because we are in the “dog days of summer.” No, I love the end of August because it is the beginning of another season of change and hope. School is back in session...so a new year of growth hopefully comes to my kids. We come to understand that Mother Nature is beginning to cool her jets a bit and some relief is coming. People start to smile more because the Fall brings a fresh start to the day. Football returns and baseball finally gets some mojo and is fun to watch. While traffic returns with all the vacations ending and schools beginning, it seems OK because increasing traffic tells me the economy is getting better as more people actually are able to go to a job. My dog spends more time outside because the cement in my backyard isn’t 180 degrees. I actually open a window and door at night to get some fresh air in the house. More people start to go to the farmers market. My neighbors start to walk more so there is actual communication between houses because we are outside again. I begin my obsession with Halloween decorations and look forward to the reopening of the Halloween superstores filling aisles with costumes and things to hang. I can actually get out and work on the yard without feeling like I’m in a sweat lodge. My soda in the garage won’t explode anymore from the heat. I’m able to walk around downtown and not see the drug dealers, gangs, and dead bodies that some of our politicians get on national TV and talk about. And maybe, the people of Arizona will start to quit fearing everything with the return of cooler heads. I do love the end of August.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 8/4 - TSA Scanners Coming to a Town Near You

There has been a lot of discussion again about the TSA adding body scanners to virtually every major airport in the US. The updated list includes airports in New York, Dallas, Washington, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle and Philadelphia. Body scanners penetrate clothing to provide a highly detailed image so accurate that critics have likened it to a virtual strip search.

I don’t know about you, but when I fly, I like to think that the knucklehead next to me doesn’t have a bomb in his shoe or something else explosive on or in their body parts that will make the airplane implode on impact of the device. And if that means I have to walk through a body scanner to have that protection on a flight, I’m ok with that. Plus, if this decreases the time it takes to get through the lines to get to the boarding area, I’m even more enthused to have these working.
Those 82 year old grandmothers need to stop being pulled out of line every time they go through the entrance and get buzzed for a detailed search because they have so many electronic body parts implanted in them. Scanners end that.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center is a Washington DC advocacy group who wants to pull the plug on all of the TSA body scanning programs. Those people who argue that body scanners violate the Fourth Amendment which prohibits “unreasonable” searches don’t get the fact that if you happen to be the unlucky person on a plane where an idiot has gotten through the current lackluster searches and blows you up, you are dead forever. So much for the Fourth Amendment if it’s you dead.

I’m all for showing off my fat ugly body parts to some scanner to insure my safety on a flight where my intent is to purely get from point A to point B safe and stay secure so I can hug my kids at the end of the day.

We puritanical US citizens often don’t get what the bad guys are doing out there and how they are constantly plotting and scheming to kill us every day. The TSA maintains that body scanning is designed to respect individual sensibilities regarding privacy, modesty and personal autonomy to the maximum extent possible, while still performing its crucial function of protecting all members of the public from potentially catastrophic events.

So by going through a body scan like they successfully have been doing in Israel for decades, without having one plane blow up or attempted to be blown up, I’m on board with the new technology. And if by chance, an image of you gets out into the general public because of being scanned and some perv puts it on-line, you’ll be famous for 15 seconds in a good or bad way and then life will go on…..but at least you’ll be alive.

So get over your modesty folks and realize that there is no second chances on a plane that blows. I want to know that the seat next to me or down some isle may have some nut in it, but at least they are not loaded.

I guess it comes down to if you don’t want to get scanned, don’t fly. I hear Amtrak is good.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 7/29 - The Day After SB 1070

Well the world didn’t end yesterday when US District Court Judge Susan Bolton ruled against the heart of SB1070. If you were surprised by the ruling you shouldn’t have been. Federal jurisdiction and law simply overrides state law. From day one, that has been the argument of the government. And it held true in the ruling.

No one suggests there is not an immigration issue in Arizona and other border states. What is frustrating is that our esteemed leaders in the land of DC can’t seem to get their heads out of the sand and set a policy that addresses the issue. Oh…I forgot...we are in an election year and no one wants to touch this with a ten foot pole. Also not surprising from a group of catfish that run our federal government.

What I don’t get is the failure on the part of the Obama administration to not at least address the border issue of manpower.

The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 counties around the world. Many of these personnel are still located at installations activated during the Cold War, by which the U.S. government sought to counter the Soviet Union. Why not end this misuse of funding and bring more troops to the Border States where the military could actually make a difference fighting the real bad guys at home.
Do you realize we have 57,080 US Soldiers in Germany? Germany for gosh sakes. Let’s see, this is the same country that barely has lifted a finger in our fight against terror. They are the richest of the European countries. Why are we still there? And we still have over 32,803 troops in Japan. Another stalwart in helping out in the fight against terror. While we are spending a gazillion dollars in these countries helping their economies with our troops, our borders go porously open.

When are we going to get leadership that slap down these old military directives and end the excessive spending in countries that no longer need nor want our support? Can you imagine the economic engine created by having these 89,883 troops alone in Arizona? Not only would our borders become more secure, but our communities would grow and prosper.

So while the courts now will be absorbed with sorting out SB1070 for the next year, let’s start demanding real change. We need to start with our military deployment in foreign countries we no longer need to be in and bring our troops home to where they best can serve us, the people. The “War on Terror” starts right down a few miles from Tucson. Germany and Japan don’t need our military might any longer……but the farmers along the border sure could use a hand.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 7/19 - Forever Stamps No Longer Forever

There was a story last week that said the Postal Service in an effort to try to not continue losing billions of dollars every year, would no longer honor the “Forever Stamp” in 2011. We consumers would have to buy extra stamps for our letters even when using a “Forever Stamp.” I really wasn’t surprised. Understanding that the U.S. Postal Service reported a 3.8 billion dollar loss for 2009 fiscal year, somehow, like a bad marriage, the “Forever Stamp” really didn’t stand a chance. Total mail volume plunged by more than 25 billion pieces which was twice as much as any mail volume decrease in the Postal Office History.

Do most of us really get any true important mail anymore? Outside of a magazine here or there, most of my daily mail consists of direct marketers attempt to make me read something I will never own nor ever care to buy. If you are like me, most of my bills are now received and paid on line except for those I don’t have sufficient funds for and then I use a stamp. I don’t get why you simply can’t deliver mail once a week. There is nothing but junk 99% of the time so I’d rather get a bundle every Wednesday which is perfect timing for the Thursday recycle day with my trash. The bundle of envelopes containing useless information on Wednesday could go from my mailbox directly into the recycle bin.

Email, direct deposit, Facebook and texting have all taken over communication with the outside world and the Postal Service is like the railroad after airplanes came into the picture.

So what could I use “Forever Stamps” for now that are no longer "forever"? Birthdays I missed on the days they occurred?...now an even better excuse as to why it came late. Bills I don’t want to pay on time like my taxes?...how fun that would be to have my taxes returned because of using a “Forever Stamp”?...isn’t that like death and taxes...a “Forever Stamp” put out by our government that is not forever.

I wish the Postal Service instead of nickel and diming us would simply increase the cost of a stamp to a round number like .50 cents or .55 cents. Adding one or two pennies to the cost of a stamp every year is a joke because they realize the day it goes into effect that it isn’t enough. Besides, another report came out last week that said the cost of making a penny at the US Mint is now 1.5 cents for every penny made and a nickel costs 6 cents to make. So now it costs more money to make the money we use to buy “Forever Stamps” that aren’t forever. Is this a great country or what!

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 7/6 - PT Barnum would have loved the NBA today

PT Barnum would have loved watching what is going on in the NBA right now and how little respect the players have for the game or the fans. As he is famously quoted, “There is a sucker born every minute” and most of them today are NBA fans who loyally line up every year paying outrageous prices for tickets to their favorite team. Only this Summer, it’s the Summer of glut and greed with the free agent players in the league.

I’m so tired of watching and hearing about the LeBron James sweepstakes. Six cities throwing their character away to get a chance to have King LeBron reside in their version of what was once a fun game. Isn’t this the guy who completely gave up in the last two playoff games because he was “pouting” over Cleveland’s chances of winning? For that he will be rewarded with a gazillion dollars.

Then there is the case of Amare Stoudemire. I guess most of you did not see his lack of any form of leadership in Games 1, 2, and 6 of the playoffs against the Lakers. If there was any question of the difference between star and superstar, all you had to do was see the difference in the play of Kobe and Amare. Kobe is worth every penny he makes in LA. For Amare, the fact that the coaches had to find a way to motivate him after the second game in LA was mind-blowing. For that, New York rewards him with 120 million. Boy the fans there are going to love Amare’s attitude!

Then there is Joe Johnsons signing for 119 million. At least he showed some loyalty to Atlanta. And we are waiting for D Wade to have some out of this planet signing number this week as well.

I don’t know about you, but everywhere I look, people and businesses are struggling. Unemployment is 9.5% but probably more like 17% in real numbers. And we are to feel sorry for these pampered NBA “stars”. I can’t bring myself around to being a “fan” anymore. The NBA owners need to learn a lesson and that is the fans are the reason they stay in business. And the fans getting to point where we cringe at these excessive paychecks is enough to stay away. Maybe with a few bankruptcies or poor attendance, the owners will change from offering these crazy salaries to bringing these gladiators back down to earth. In the big scheme of what’s important and what matters, it’s your faith, your family, your friends, and your business. I don’t see cheering for guys making one hundred million dollars any part of that equation above anymore.

And for those of you who will still pay the price to see these overpriced and under achieving athletes, I get back to PT Barnum and his famous saying that “there is a sucker born every minute.”

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 7/1 - AZ-TV Is Our Family Too

Most of us spend far more time with our fellow employees at work than we do with our own families.

It’s simply a part of life. Hopefully you like the people you work with and for, because of the effort and energy that happens each week at your job and interaction with an office environment.

And like any family, there are the ups and downs of everyday life. You learn about one another. You learn about their families. You learn about dreams and you learn about failure. You start to share when the levels of trust grow between one another. You begin to depend on each other for the little things, sharing in the good times and bad.

At AZ-TV, we are a small company. With less than 50 employees, we live, breathe and become AZ-TV for a good part of our days. The love and dedication of the employees here are such that we are our own “family”. And so when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. The past six months, Bob Dey, who is one of our sales people, has been dealing with his wife’s cancer. All of us at the station have learned more about cancer and the tentacles of destruction that it leaves. On Tuesday his wife of 40+ years passed. And so our family mourned.

On Wednesday, another one of our family members revealed more heartbreak. Lisa Schneider-Cipriano, who co-hosts The McMahon Group with Pat and Angela, told our audience and us that she has breast cancer. If you haven’t seen the segment, CLICK HERE where the segment will be titled "Lisa’s Battle with Breast Cancer." So again we mourn.

But we are all there for one another through all of this. We all pick up the pieces so that each of us can continue to move forward. If the journey of life happens at work for a good part of the day, then the road we are on at AZ-TV has been one well traveled and we stop to make sure none of us are left behind. That’s what families do. So on this 4th of July weekend, where we celebrate our country and freedom, let’s also take time to celebrate that family you work with. Those people who dedicate more than time cards and a paycheck to make sure we continue to take care of one another in the greatest country in the world.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 6/28 - Uncle J.D.

Everyone has an uncle they would like to hide from. The guy who knows everything about everything and makes you feel like you would run for cover every time you see him coming your way. A guy who talks a game of principles and walks a game of whatever it takes to fill his own agenda. We in Arizona have that Uncle and he is running for the Senate against John McCain...our very own J.D. Hayworth.

I won’t even get into the Jack Abramoff lobby scandal other than to say that Uncle J.D. was the largest single recipient of Abramoff-related money and co-chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus, receiving more than $150,000 from Indian tribes once represented by Abramoff. There is a reason the Tea Party has not given their endorsement out to J.D. and it has to do with the fact that he doesn’t walk the walk they walk.

There was rarely an earmark he could not resist to add to bills while he was in Congress and a microphone he rarely passed up to throw in his ten cents worth. Now it comes out that Uncle J.D. was involved in a 2007 infomercial that promoted “free government grant seminars.” Consumer advocate groups called foul. The company that produced the infomercial was sued and eventually went bankrupt. Of course J.D. explained it away as simply a “caveat emptor” - buyer beware in his webcast “Round Table Politics.”

I don’t know about you, but a guy who claims to be an advocate to cut government spending and then turns around and does an infomercial to get as much government largesse as you can, simply cannot have it both ways. In the upcoming election against Senator John McCain, I can only say that we should have a “caveat emptor” approach to our crazy Uncle J.D. Just as J.D. regretted his association with the infomercial firm, we Arizonans may want to look closely under the sheets on what our Uncle says he believes and what his actions show he believes. Caveat Emptor for sure.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 6/21 - Stay in L.A.

So the Lakers beat the Celtics last Thursday night in LA to retain the NBA Championship for another year. It was a great series with lots of tremendous basketball played on both sides. So how do the fine folks of LA celebrate? Television news footage showed several people jumping on a taxi as it tried to maneuver through a crowd near the Staples center, being rocked and simply destroyed. Several cars on that same block had all the windows broken in. Other footage showed men being beaten and other cars being set afire. Several businesses reports scattered windows being destroyed. Broken glass and burnt debris lined the roads. Delmi Ramos was quoted as saying that the young people in her neighborhood “caused damage to people, to community, because they don’t know how to celebrate in a healthy way.” City Firefighters responded to over 37 incidents within a half mile radius of the Staples Center in a three hour period after the game to fight rubbish fires, vehicle fires, public intoxication and vandalism that resulted in injuries to the bystanders. Hundreds of officers in patrol cars, on foot and on horseback moved in to clear streets and break up the crowds.

I bring this up again thinking about the LA city council wanting to boycott coming to the state of Arizona while the continuing discussion on SB1070 goes on. After reading about all the good people of LA celebrating their success in the NBA finals, I’d just assume they stay in their own neighborhoods. So to the people on the LA City Council……keep your garbage in your own backyard. We can do without that kind of support.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 6/15 - Change You Can Believe In?

Have you followed the story in South Carolina where an unemployed veteran ran for the Democratic Party nomination and won? What’s fascinating about this story is that Al Greene, the man who ran, never campaigned; never made a public speech; never made a public appearance and never spent a dime on advertising. And yet he still won!

Now whatever will come out of these political shenanigans...and I believe this will end up being a doozy of a story...it occurred to me that maybe there is something special here that Arizona could benefit from.

I think we can mostly agree on the fact that our political leaders here are a strange lot. They seem to do everything possible to hurt Arizona and our growth as opposed to help it. And every two years we are barraged with the same campaign stump commercials on how they will all save Arizona. John McCain is all over TV fighting for “change” only he can bring even though he has been in the seat for a zillion years and we still have the same issues in Arizona we had a zillion years ago. J.D. Hayworth would like to put up the Great Wall of China along the border to really keep folks out. And we’re stuck with Russell Pearce because...well we’re just stuck with him like a crazy uncle.

What if we had elections where the guy who ran did absolutely nothing and yet still won? Nothing would change really. We’d still have the economic mess that no one can agree on how to fix. We’d still have the border issues. We’d still have states boycotting our hotels and eateries. We’d still have leaderless leaders who can’t compromise and come to terms with building our schools back from the likes of Mississippi and creating tax breaks for small business that would allow for jobs to be created.

Yet we would not have to watch the onslaught of television ads and hear the radio rhetoric that is coming for the next six months. How refreshing. Can you imagine a political period where all you did was vote on the given day and get it done with?
Ok...I really don’t want that because I am an optimist and I believe we can make Arizona the state it truly can become...where growth and ecological balance can co-exist and where schools train our kids to really have something to work for. It’s just nice to dream once in a while that the politicians could actually do something for a change and we could put the political rhetoric to the side and regain the Arizona spirit and momentum we once had. But to dream of an advertising free and speech free election period would be interesting if not nice for a change.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 6/7 - Summer Paradise

It’s hot again in Arizona. Yep...we all came in to work today complaining about the heat around the water coolers. Felt like old home week in a way. There was something reassuring that the weather changed and the spring months were now gone for another year. It’s our winter as the folks back east would say when they were here in January.

And that’s OK with me.

I love living in Arizona. I love the heat. I love to complain about the heat. I lived 30 plus years in the Midwest. I hated shoveling snow only to have the city plow come back around and cream your driveway as you were finishing up. How many nights I couldn’t feel my feet because they were so cold from the outside air at a ballgame. I hated living in Chicago where you would never see the sun for weeks on end in spring. April showers extended into May, June, July and August. And anyone who has spent time in the Midwest during the summer knows that 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity is far more painful to endure than our 110 degree sun-filled days. You should have seen the pits in my shirts...disgusting stuff. And tornado and hurricane season...if you lived through any of those, you know why man built basements in homes. Basements in Arizona are simply for the crazies who think the world is ending next December.

We dress down a bit in Arizona in summer. We figure out how to live and work and play in degrees others in the country would find unbearable. We use those funny shade things in our cars to keep the inside temps under some unbearable heat index while we are out. We don’t leave chocolate or uncooked fish in our cars during the day unless we want to make a trip to a car wash or are playing a prank on a friend. Umbrellas are used to keep the sun away from our faces, not rain in a pour.

We long for a shoreline when not boycotting the goofs in California over SB1070 but settle for pools in our backyard. We know there is no use in SPF30 when it hits 110 and swim with baseball caps on to protect our faces. Dog parks are crowded at 5:30am now. Grocery stores are more filled at 8am than 4pm. No use buying ice cream during the day. Cold coffee is a bigger seller than the warm stuff. And we’ve learned that going shoeless will lead to very big sores on our feet. We hike early and water late in evening. So it’s summer and hot again in Arizona. All is good in paradise.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 5/26 - New Beginnings

I attended one of my sons' high school graduation ceremonies on Tuesday night. It was a big class so the event was held at Wells Fargo Arena and over 500 students walked into the building as young ambitious kids and left a few hours later as new young adults.

The speeches were the kind you would hear at an event like this. Words like “hope”, “future,” “memories,” and “achievement” spilled out among the talk. But in each speech where students spoke, the theme that wrapped around each person was to go find something you really wanted to do with your life, and then go do it. It seems so simple.

Somehow, we sometimes lose that goal when we travel that journey of everyday living. And each day becomes more of a chore than a love. So I really embraced the enthusiasm that the students had to have passion for “something” in their new beginnings.

The world will change for all of them as they go down different roads. Either furthering their education, joining the military, or simply starting a path of work now. The “hope” is that regardless of the path they choose that they develop a passion to embrace and believe in. To make a difference in their own lives by choosing the road less taken by others.

I feel the symbolism of throwing your caps into the air is special for anyone who has done that at least once in their lives. The memory of a time long past that is still cherished by most. As I walked out, I couldn’t help but think that there is always a time to start over for each of us. To grab back onto a vision that might have escaped us until now. One that may have been put off by the events of time. Graduations aren’t just for the graduates, rather they are chance for all of us to redefine our own lives and make sure we are trying to find that thing that can make us all tick differently and make us happy.

So for my son, who enters into a new world, I hope he embraced the words that were spoken that night. Find the one thing that you love, and go for it. That is the greatest satisfaction I can have as a parent as he journeys into a new life.

And for me, while I feel I have found my passion in life, I’ll try to wake each day to make that passion real, authentic and balanced.
Hmmm...who knew you could learn so much from a night out with the kids?

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 5/13 - Boycott California

L.A. OK’s Boycott over SB1070 in Arizona

Los Angeles on Wednesday became the largest city yet to boycott Arizona over our tough new law targeting illegal immigration. Los Angeles and California - one giant glass house.

What a bunch of hooey. Here’s what this is really about. Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who co-authored the resolution, also stated; “Maybe some of those jobs and businesses could come back to L.A. and California.” Hum...politics as usual. This is about money and jobs which have deserted California because the state has become a dump of ineffective leadership and spending.

I lived in L.A. for a number of years. I left because of the pollution, traffic congestion, bums on the streets and the fact that it is an overall horrible place to raise children. The drug trade is pathetically everywhere. You think you could walk down downtown L.A. at midnight without getting knifed or mugged…..good luck with that. The beaches at Santa Monica and along the boardwalk…..full of garbage, transients, pimps, trolls….all the family types you would want your kids to be exposed too. Right. Have you seen “Boyz N the Hood”? It’s worse today than it has ever been with racial tensions in the inner city on high alert. Have you forgotten the riots? I didn’t. The value of my home fell so fast because nobody felt safe anymore. So while the politically correct politicians in California spout about leaving Arizona, have at it. California’s lack of any immigration policy is the heart of their state out of control spending problems. Somehow I feel those U-hauls will continue to cross state lines coming into Arizona and getting out of California and the crime and chaos that exists in those neighborhoods.

While I do not feel SB1070 was written very well, I do feel the “due process” of our system will fix the measure to be agreeable to all. That will come from citizens and politicians within Arizona, not a bunch of yahoos in a state so close to bankruptcy they can’t pay their tax refunds without IOU’s. The immigration issue needs to be addressed in Arizona. And federal politicians have not had the guts to do so over many many years.

I’m tired of this back lash against our state. I don’t want to live like they do in California. That’s why I left. So to Councilwoman Janice Hahn I say forget Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World, and the beaches of San Diego. If California folk don’t want to do business with us, there are many areas of neighboring states Arizona citizens can visit or simply spending our hard earned money right here in Arizona is fine for me. Councilwoman Hahn, as Thomas Paine stated in 1778 as the country was being formed, “He who lives in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones."

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 5/11 - Project Civil Discourse

Meghan McCain wrote an article in the Daily Beast this past week on how she and her mother were out shopping in a mall and a man rudely came up to them and yelled at her mother that “your husband needs to be more conservative” before storming off.

We are quickly becoming known as the state of hate across the country.

I was around the last time our country went through a very turbulent time in the late '60s and early '70s and I think Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young might be able to remix “Four Dead in Ohio” for an Arizona version.

Never before have sides been so divided as they are on Prop 100 and now our new 1070 law. What’s changed is the tone and tenor. No one simply talks about any of this. Both sides posture, yell and spew fear and hatred across both sides of the isle.
Meghan McCain goes on to say that “it’s almost as if to be taken seriously in politics, a certain level of anger and incivility is required. I am not saying I am not angry about many things that are going on in this country, but I do believe we can discuss our differences with respect.”

I was invited to attend Project Civil Discourse last week. It was put on with a collaboration of the Arizona Republican, Democratic and Libertarian Parties. The “Town Hall” focused on Arizona’s Sales Tax Referendum under the premise of a civil dialogue and discussion. We were put at tables of ten and after hearing a non-partisan presentation of the state economic situation and what the tax would and would not do, a team facilitator conducted a dialogue on the pros and cons. It was a refreshing idea and for the people that attended…it worked.

Of the 100 or so that were there, only three changed their minds on how they were going to vote by the nights end, but the forum showed that you can have disagreement and discourse that doesn’t include shouting and insults. We learned more about each other’s views and emotions. Empathy actually took place. There were a lot of “I see where you are coming from” in those discussions. As I said, few minds were changed, but I think there was a greater sense of “why people think the way they do” and how to walk away respecting the other sides ideals.

This group is teeing up another meeting on 1070 and I want to be there for that. The passions run much deeper on that situation and I am curious if the same kind of respect for opinion can be had at that town hall.

For now, I send Meghan McCain the message to hang in there and continue to work at reaching out to make the political process less fearful and more accepting of each other’s opinions. She finished her blog by saying “if politicians aren’t inspiring people when they are young, what hope is there that they will care when they are older.”

Project Civil Discourse takes that first step to get back to when we can talk, learn and accept each other so that we can focus on future actions rather than past events.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 5/3 - The Immigration Law in AZ

The story of the week in Arizona and around the U.S. has been the new immigration law signed by the Governor last Friday. While I am not happy about the law and its complicated ramifications, I am tired of the new baggage from around the country that arrives via the media daily.
First the fine folks of San Francisco throw in their ten cents worth. Ban travel to Arizona.
Then entertainers like Shakira come to town and you’d think the Pope was speaking. Didn’t realize she was such a policy wank.
Protesters lined up at Wrigley Field last weekend to boycott the Diamondbacks. I lived many years in Chicago and the racial issues in that city are enormous. And they can’t fix a pot hole to save themselves.
Here’s the reality. Arizona is a mess. The tax base has been shredded by the recession, the housing market continues to implode and the unemployment rate still hovers around 9.6%. Immigration issues and the substantial costs with the lack of any policy are a part of all of those problems.
We have the nation’s number one status in kidnapping and immigration exploitation in the country.
Yes, we have a sheriff who goes out and rounds up simple working people like maintenance crews and gardeners but avoids the tough stuff like attacking the drug issues, human smuggling and gang growth that plague the Hispanic and other neighborhoods. No headlines in that.
Has anyone from San Francisco or Shakira been in one of Arizona’s emergency room’s on a Friday or Saturday night with a true injury? The wards are full of immigrants who have no health care but seek service. Has Shakira ever been to a over crowded class room in the inner city to realize there has to be a plan established to figure out how to first accommodate those that want to learn and then how to pay for it?
For what its worth, Shakira is from Columbia. That country is responsible for more pain and suffering around the globe due to the excessive cocaine market that comes directly out of their back yard. I don’t see Shakira down there screaming of the horrors of that business and the daily murders that take place when you get in way. You know why? The Columbian drug lords would probably kill her if she did. So she postures in Arizona like some saint from heaven above. Please fix your own homeland problems before looking into ours.
The Diamondbacks are excellent corporate citizens and have done more with inner city charities and fund drives than most professional sports teams across the country.
For anyone from California to even talk about other state issues, they need look no further than the incompetence of leadership in their own state. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Earthquakes won’t be needed to push them into the ocean. Their lack of any vision in handling their own budget and immigration law is enough to bankrupt them for years.
The new immigration law in Arizona is a work in progress. It will be reworked and redefined as we move forward. The debate is good. It’s a joke that the federal government has avoided this issue year in and out, Republican and Democratic administrations. It’s a tough battle with no winners. But something has to be addressed.
And at least Arizona has stepped out and has tried to start the debate. The courts are a good play to challenge any constitutional issues. That’s why we have “a system”. The voters here can decide in the 2010 and 2012 elections if they like the direction of our current leaders. If not, get rid of them and change the agenda.
But for today, I’m sick of California, Shakira and the protesters in Chicago.
As my father used to say when the kids in our family went over the line in importance…”who died and made you boss?”

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 4/26 - Fighting at Hockey Games

I went to a fight the other night and there might have been some hockey played on the side. And the fight(s) were not on the ice. A friend got me tickets to the Coyote playoff game Friday night. We sat in a section that several Detroit fans also sat in. The game started innocently enough with the typical jawing and bantering between fans of both cities. But by the second period, the degree of animosity started to show. The friendly “Detroit Sucks” chants changed to include more non tactful words. One row down from us, finger pointing led to shoving which then led to punching. Normally you would think it’s just the game, but in this case one of the combatants was a woman. She took the first shot by throwing a punch in the startled Red Wing male’s face. Of course that was all it took and he walloped her back. Ejection. Then below us, taunting followed by beer tossing and again, Ejection. Across the ice, two Coyote fans took a Red Wing fan and held him down in a headlock while the other Coyote fan pummeled his face. Ejection.
In the third period, another fight by us. The Coyotes were on a power play but all heads in my area were directed to a shoving match that escalated to punching. Ejection.

All in all, there were over 7 plus fights we witnessed. I’m sure there were more we were not even aware of around the stadium.

I’m not sure what to think of all this. Return of the Roman Empire days is one thought. I felt a bit sad. For one, you should be able to attend a game as a fan of any team without the fear of being pummeled. I think that the old excuse of “its part of hockey” doesn’t play in this scenario. Drunken out of control human beings paying a lot of money to be morons. I don’t know. If the Coyotes want to change their image, they need to start with teaching some form of sanity classes when you walk in the gates. Maybe a card we get when we get to our seats.

Ten Commandments of attending a Coyote Hockey Game:
1. Watch the game.
2. Don’t drink until you are obliterated.
3. Try not to chant “F..K You Red Wings” every time you open your mouth.
4. Watch the game.
5. Pretend you are not the only person in the universe.
6. Keep the beer you do buy in your mouth and resist the urge to throw it at
other patrons.
7. Don’t hit women in the stands even if they hit you first.
8. Watch the game.
9. Keep your hands to yourself.
10. Don’t sucker punch your fellow patron rooting for the other team.

Maybe those would help. But I fear this is the new society we are in…where rules of civility don’t matter any more. Maybe the reason “bullying” has become a bigger concern out there is that people are becoming more destructive with their behavior and expose it wherever they please. I hope the Coyotes realize this before their fans become the Philadelphia Eagles fans of the West where jail cells are put in place within the stadium to take care of the volume of drunks. I would have liked something like that Friday.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 4/20 - Worried Yet?

Is anyone worried lately? We have had some interesting geological events. No snow in Minnesota or Rochester, New York in March. (We want those people to be miserable there in March so they visit Arizona for Spring Training). Earthquakes on the Arizona border that shake Phoenix. Earthquakes in China, Chili and Haiti. Now the largest Volcano eruption in years that almost buries the economy in Europe for two weeks and strands tens of thousands. Health care passes kind of sort of. Nobody knows or understands what it means because most of it doesn’t have teeth for years. Too bad if you’re sick today. Toyota makes cars that speed up on their own and don’t stop when you brake. The banks fight regulation and continue to make record, and I mean record, profits.

Then in Arizona, the legislative body passes a concealed weapons law that any Joe can go get a gun without a permit and training. The state loses a couple of million dollars in fees that we can’t afford right now. I feel safer don’t you. The state legislative body also spends time crafting a law which passes that has President Obama show a birth certificate in Arizona before seeking reelection in 2012 and appearing on the Arizona ballot. I’m exhausted by these knuckleheads still consumed with conspiracy theories that the President comes from Kenya. The economy in Arizona is one of the worst in America. The business taxes are one of the highest. The school system is one of the five worst in America and getting worse with class sizes above 40 kids in many systems. Housing bankruptcies are continuing to grow...with an outlook that is unsure at best. Have you seen the hundreds, maybe thousands of empty commercial real estate office space and strip centers around your corner?

Then I think back to the earthquakes and volcanoes and climate changes. Is anyone worried?

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 4/12 - The one cent sales tax

I go to little dry cleaners in a strip mall by my house. A nice lady who is about 75 years old works there every day during the week. She is small and feeble but is there at 6am and works to close on most days. So when I heard that a thug went in and robbed her at gunpoint Friday, I got really upset. What kind of loser human being robs a little old lady by gunpoint these days? According to the police, the guy was a young man wearing a hood over his head. He staked out the cleaners from a nearby gas station and at 11AM in the morning went in for his take. Statistically he is probably a meth head say the police trying to score drug money.

Later I went home to an email from the Scottsdale Unified School District. The Arizona Legislature passed an 8 percent cut to all education funding. If the one cent sales tax increase ballot measure does not pass in May, education budgets will be cut by another 8 percent. At my kids high school, that means class sizes will increase to an average of 37 students to teacher ratio. It also means ten more teachers will be cut from an already downsized staff.

I can tell you this…..it’s already almost impossible for teachers to teach at the current 34:1 ratio. At 37 we can guarantee more failing grades, more kids lost in the middle and ultimately more drop outs for a state that is close to the nation’s worst in that category. So what happens to those kids who don’t make it and can’t find jobs because they have no skills? Statistics show greater propensity to be in bad home situations, early pregnancy, increased drug use and ultimately crime.

I can only think about the the little old lady at my cleaners and how this story will continue to multiple to other shops, businesses and homes around Arizona if we don’t start to take a stand on fixing our academic situation. Major employers will not settle in Arizona if we don’t figure this out. And for the little old lady at my dry cleaners who was robbed; maybe she was lucky. The next person may take a bullet for a few bucks to get drugs.

Think we don’t need to pass the one cent sales tax? Just look around for the young men and women wearing hoods that are coming into your neighborhoods. Think they aren’t there…..look again. Ask my sweet 75 year old at the local dry cleaners.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 4/1 - The Grand Canyon

I spent three days in the Grand Canyon last week. Three days of peace and serenity. No stories of health care; nuts going after Senators and Congress men and women; unemployment; and your daily shootings, fires and local legislative malaise.

Just three days of seeing the beauty that the Grand Canyon offers. It “wows” you with its presence. When you stare out into the vast monument of nature, all the pains of the day seem minor to what really matters in life. Sometimes I long for the simplicity of what once was. We’ve removed ourselves from the beauty that is in our own horizons because we are so caught up in the now.

As we were coming back up after descending down a few miles, I watched the faces of those that we passed and those that passed us. A simple journey. An opportunity to exist with the canyon and the canyon’s rules. Though it was tiring and painful coming back up, it was something my mind and body accepted as the cost of being allowed to participate in something special. There was a sign at 3 miles that said something like, “it’s optional going down, but mandatory to get back up”. I guess that summed up the trip.

Health care, unemployment, fires and bad guys are all part of what’s going down in the world. It’s mandatory that we as human beings figure out what it takes to get back up and re build our society to mirror the peace and serenity of the canyon. That we take the time to look out for one another. That we actually say hi to our neighbors. That we understand what ails others and have compassion toward those issues. I want to hold those memories from the canyon in my mind every day moving forward so I can remember what it’s like to get back up. I want to have that “wow” moment more often in my life whether at work, home, with my kids or my friends.
I spent three days in the Grand Canyon last week and have renewed inspiration about my life and who I am.

That’s a pretty good value in a pretty messed up world.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 3/16 - March Madness

In what can only be explained as one of the greatest times each year in sports, the NCAA Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) begins this Thursday. While Super Bowls come and go each year, it still remains a one day event. With March Madness, water coolers across this great country are full of office employees who are costing the country millions...maybe even billions in lost productivity. Hours are spent deciding over which 12 seed will defeat which 5 seed. Deep rooted discussions on who should have been in the “Big Dance”…different seeds…and how about those poor teams like ASU who didn’t get to the dance? Do the RPI rankings really matter anymore? These are the deep questions that scores of people ponder before Thursday.

Those who are not sports advocates become so during these next three weeks.

It’s distracting. It’s annoying at times. But it’s sure fun to fill in your picks. It gets us away from the grind of the everyday week and allows us for a few glorious days to watch which teams can swing the pendulum. Few even care or know the players that perform. That is not the point. It’s the excitement of building your bracket. Whether by complex computer analysis or picking teams because you like their colors or name, however you get to your Final Four is just fine. That is what makes this week so great. It just doesn’t matter how you pick…..it’s simply that you pick. I take my sheets home for my dog to fill out. Whatever paw he puts on each team becomes his pick. Last year he took fourth place in his bracket.

March Madness gets some folks you haven’t seen for a year out of their office to compete and actually talk to you. I didn’t even know we had a certain employee at the station until he stepped out and introduced himself while filling in his picks. We probably won’t see him for the rest of the year.

So as President Obama and the two parties fight over health care this week, I have “the” simple solution. Legalize March Madness office betting and tax it. You could save the health care woes of this nation by simply setting up an office tax for everyone who participates and send that money to Uncle Sam. The millions or billions that could be raised is more than enough to take care of our health care issues for years to come. Just think what happens WHEN they expand and go to 96 teams. You could tax each week of the tournament differently as it progresses. We could make this so complex that accountants would be needed to help us understand the tax rules which then would open up more jobs and fill some of the gap of those unemployed. Additional jobs could be created as we use technology to really take us to the next level on our picks. My son’s four years at ASU would not be wasted.

And best of all, as your teams progress to either winning or losing you are happy... because it’s about participation. It’s about renewal as the winter comes to an end and clean jump shots and team work still count on the court of life. So, with health care solved by my tax initiative on March Madness, have fun with picking your teams. Upsets always rule the roost this time of the year.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 3/9/10 - Photo Radar

"The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe."
--Dr. McCoy on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

I commute daily on Tatum south from Shea to Camelback...and each day it's the same thing. The speed limit turns to 40mph and you can count on 1-2 photo radar sites between these streets. You can tell the regulars who just get in the right lane and go 42-45 mph...they let the knuckleheads pull Star Trek maneuvers and use light speed to pass you until they see the photo radar and then need their titanium brakes to get 50 mph so the flashing bulbs don't go off. But once by the radar, they accelerate to warp speed again.

I drive on the SR-51 quite a bit. Heading north, there are now signs that say upcoming speed cameras are ahead. The natural flow of traffic is about 68 mph and suddenly you'll get one or two panic cars that get cement in their shoes and slow down under 55 in this 65 zone.

This becomes a worse hazard for the rest of us than normal traffic flow as everybody else then slams their brakes to avoid mass pileups from the "scallywags" driving 55 or less. Going south SR-51, you hit two photo radar vans. Both have signs alerting you to the upcoming cameras. Again, you have to be a moron not to see the signs and an idiot if you don't slow down. Speeds of 60 mph suddenly go down under 50 and it becomes a danger zone of zigzagging drivers trying to avoid the line of slamming red brake lights.

So should photo radar go the way of the dinosaur?

My opinion is that if the county has to put out signs that alert you to every photo radar location, why bother? The photo radar vans in my commute do nothing more than make driving more dangerous than a NASCAR outing. If the goal is to reduce speed, it’s not working. Drivers either slow for the moment then zoom ahead or they simply get a ticket that often never gets paid. The system is not working…and it’s becoming more dangerous. Not to mention that by slowing quickly and accelerating we are probably putting more carbon pollutants in the air anyway. Dr. McCoy was right that the bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in Arizona.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 3/1/10 - Our Heroes

I was reading the Saturday Arizona Republic and I came upon a story in Section A15 with the following names: Matthias Hanson, Eric Ward, J.R. Salvacion, Marcos Gorra, Adam Peak, Christopher Eckard, Michael Cardenez, Joshua Birchfield, Gregory Stultz, Jeremy McQueary, and Kielin Dunn. I paused as I read each name and the short information about each person and flipped to the next page and story.

As to the rest of the news that day...the Waste Management Phoenix Open has been going on this week to huge crowds. The Olympics are concluding in Vancouver with great fanfare and applause. The U.S. had its best Winter Olympics ever and is bringing home a lot of gold, silver, and bronze. Spring Training is beginning in Florida and Arizona...bringing back the "Boys of Summer." We're still worries about whether Tiger Woods will be able to figure out his addictions in time to save his endorsements and marriage. Sheriff Arpaio and Andrew Thomas continue to get rebuffed on their grand conspiracy tactics towards the Board of Supervisors. The City of Mesa is fighting for a tax to be implemented to keep the Cubs in Arizona or the new billionaire owner (Tom Ricketts) will take his new toy to Florida. All the news that is fit to print and read...and forgotten.

Later that night I attended a service at an inner city church called Fire & Water. Meadowlark Lemon, of Harlem Globetrotters fame, was the guest speaker and quietly talked about something special at this Church...a spirit of life that is now gone from many grand buildings of worship. He then talked about new accountability, one that comes from your own heart...to have a dream...a vision...and get out and do whatever is necessary to make that vision happen...as he had done many years before. He talked about adversity, poverty, and the ability to still have a faith that we can all survive and be as one in the community. Achieve a level of excellence that sets an example for others to live by...a code of respect you live by.

I went home and opened the paper back to Section A15 and re-read the names again. For these were not just names of ordinary people. These were not the names of sports stars or Hollywood actors. They were not the latest gossip newsmakers or for that matter politicians.

They were people who gave the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. People we never knew but should...lives we will never read about again. They will not be at the next Phoenix Open as spectators or viewers of the 2012 Olympics. They will not worry about Tiger Woods or whether the Cubs stay or go.

They have already given what most of us would never think of giving...their lives. You see, the names: Matthias Hanson, Eric Ward, J.R. Salvacion, Marcos Gorra, Adam Peak, Christopher Eckard, Michael Cardenez, Joshua Birchfield, Gregory Stultz, Jeremy McQueary, and Kielen Dunn...are all U.S. soldiers who lost their lives this past week in Afghanistan. These brave soldiers were fighting for us to be able to do all the things we read about in the paper today. They are the ones who had a vision to be accountable...they chose service among all else and paid the highest price...their lives. They did this so that one day there may be unity in the world we live.

We take life too much for granted. We are off to the next story in the paper. Because we don't often see the tragedy of war, we are willing to turn the page every day to the next story with little to no remorse. I will say an extra prayer of thanks tonight for the unknown few who cared to have a service committment in hopes that one day our vision is reachable because of their sacrifice.

Jeff

Jeff's Commentary - 2/19/10 - Tiger Woods

Today Tiger Woods held a press conference talking about his indiscretions that impacted his wife and family.

Every major television network carried the telecast as well as all cable news networks. And now they are all following up on what he said, or should have said.

Why? Do we really care? Should we care? I'm ashamed to have wasted the time watching.

Have we become a country so taken in by scandal and sex with the rich and famous that we have forgotten about the core values of what truly is important? Are our lives so empty that we must vacillate in the downfall of others?

This week was the first of a very dangerous and deadly offensive in Afghanistan. Instead of focusing on what really matters in our lives, we are absorbed with a rich, spoiled athlete that couldn't keep his pants on and keep his vows to his wife sacred. But that is often the way with athletes, politicians, and many other people.

Tiger is the current "World's Greatest Athlete" but at the end of the day, he is no more than just another guy who fooled around with women who were not his wife. Maybe his contrition will benefit his overall path in life. While he preached today, nothing will really matter except how he handles his life moving forward.

For millions of Americans to watch, to peer into yet another titillating story, it is a sad commentary on understanding what truly matters in our own lives.

America has lost a lot of its soul these past several months. We bought into the belief that we could have it all without really working for it, or saving for it. The fact that the Democrats and Republicans cannot get a job bill passed with 10-14% unemployment or a health care bill created that treats someone for a pre-existing condition...that we don't have decent health care for millions of children in the world's richest country...that our education system in Arizona is among the worst in the country...that we are in a war few want to look or talk about. When it's not your kid fighting or it's not you who is unemployed...or it's not you that can get prescription medicine to fight the pain of a lingering illness, then we get wrapped in the warped world of "Tigermania." And we watch...

We need to reconnect on what really matters...and it isn't Tiger Woods' sex life.

Jeff